


Bound

by AJ_Vincent



Category: Fallout 3
Genre: Charon is a little touch starved, Charon is also hella kinky, F/M, I just felt like it was a good way to introduce them, Lot of buildup, NSFW, OC is NOT Lone wanderer, OC is named Alexis, Smut, Story itself isn't really linked to teh smut, There will be an actual story with this but, charon needs more love, first chapter is smut, hints at stuff for later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-11 09:04:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18427397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJ_Vincent/pseuds/AJ_Vincent
Summary: First chapter is smut. The summary below is for the story that will start in the second chapter.To be bound to someone, mind and body, isn't something Charon would ever have thought he could be free of. He hated being forced to stand in the same corner all day. He hated how Azhrukal treated everyone.Then walked in a scrawny girl with a scar on her neck and bright blue hair.He was bound to her now, but now, something else was binding him to her, not just his contract.





	1. Smut

**Author's Note:**

> Smut ahead, slow burn, actual story starts ch2

Alexis practically collapsed on the couch of their house as soon as they walked in. Charon couldn’t really blame her, it had been a pretty shitty day. He carried her bag and his to the table in the corner of the room. He began to unpack their supplies and store them in their appropriate places. He looked back at her, she had turned on her back and was rubbing her side. He walked over to her and sat in the chair beside her, “You ok?” he asks. 

She nodded, “Yeah, I’m ok. My ribs just hurt from that fall,” she says and sighs. “Doc said nothing was broken, so I think I’m ok,” she pulls up her shirt a bit, a large dark bruise had started to form on her ribcage. 

He gently brushed his hand over the bruise, “Do you need anything for it?” he asks. 

She shakes her head, “I’m ok,” she puts her shirt back into place and turns on her good side, facing towards him, “How about you? You took quite a hit,” she says. “You were pretty dazed for a while,” she sat up slowly. 

He could see her wincing from the pain she was in. He lightly pressed the palm of his hand to her shoulder. “I’m fine. Lie down. Rest. You need it,” he says and stands. Truthfully, he was also sore as hell, but he could handle it for a bit longer. He walked to their small kitchen and started looking through the fridge for anything they could eat. Unbeknownst to him that Alexis was slowly giving in to her exhaustion. 

He managed to make a decent meal with the limited items they had and carried their plates over. He looks at her, seeing her sound asleep. He smiled a little and set the plates down. He kneeled beside the couch. He gently ran his hand through her hair and smiled a bit. She was a heavy sleeper, he knew there was no way he was waking her up, so he picked her up and carried her to their shared room. Charon had been paranoid since their home had been broken into often. He insisted they share a room so he could better watch over her. Alexis hadn’t put up much of a fight, but she was always a bit shy about it. 

The room itself was simple, two beds, one on each side of the room. Alexis’s side of the room had a few old world posters she’d found hung up, her bed was unmade and several books and holotapes were strewn about. He chuckled softly and laid her in her bed. The room was pretty big, plenty of room for them both to hake full sized beds. Charon’s side was pretty bare, he really didn’t see the need to decorate it. He started cleaning up some of the mess Alexis had. He organized her books and holotapes on the shelves near her bed. He looked at the silver heart shaped box she kept there. Alexis never said what she kept in there, only that things important to her were in there. A combination lock held the box closed. He looked at it curiously. He wondered what she kept in there that required a lock. 

He looked back over at her, hearing a soft whine coming from Alexis. He walked over to her. He was used to her having nightmares, though they were few and far between. He pulled a chair over to the bed and started to gently rub her back, it usually helped when she had these dreams. She moved closer to him, nothing unusual for her. She got scared easily and tended to cling to him. In the six months, they’d traveled together, she had been a bit of a contradiction. She could handle herself pretty well against whatever mutated creature existed out in the wastes, but when it came to anything else she seemed to have a hard time. He could only reason it had to do with how she was raised as a slave. She was scared of people because of it. 

She turned onto her stomach, her face in the pillows. Her face was a light red and she was mumbling in her sleep. It wasn’t anything strange until he heard her whimper again, though it sounded oddly like his name. 

This confused Charon more than anything, and he half wondered if he’d misheard her, but sure enough a few seconds later she did it again. He carefully brushed her hair away from her face, watching her expression to see if his suspicions were correct. He studied her carefully, but her expression showed no signs of her being afraid or being in pain, if fact, it seemed to be the opposite. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her face was a soft red. She kept squirming and moving around in her sleep. It didn’t take a nuclear physicist to understand what exactly was going on. 

Charon stood up slowly. He wasn’t sure what to do with this information. He kept his hand on her shoulder as she writhed a bit. He half contemplated laying beside her, it wouldn’t have been the first time they’d shared a bed, but he didn’t want her to be uncomfortable when she woke up. He slowly stepped back and headed to put the food away for when Alexis would wake up. He heard her bed creaking in the room and started walking back to it. He walked back to the chair and sat down. Alexis had calmed down and was sleeping rather peacefully now. He sighed in relief and leaned back a bit before letting himself drift in that limbo between awake and asleep. 

A while later, he heard the blankets on Alexis’s bed shift and he heard her yawn. He remained silent and still, seeing no reason to move. He stayed in that limbo as he heard Alexis move around the room quietly as she could. He felt her presence near him. He could probably have reached out and wrapped his arm around her, though he didn’t. He felt her hand on his cheek. He didn’t move, curious as to what she was doing. That and he didn’t want to startle her. He had a bad habit of frightening her when he woke up suddenly.   
He remained still as her hands wandered over his face and neck. This was a little odd to him, but he couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy it. He wasn’t used to someone touching him at all, much less in the gentle, curious way Alexis was. He could feel her fingertips just barely going over his head, down behind his ears, across his cheek and along his jaw before going down his neck then back up again. He felt himself slowly falling deeper into his half asleep state. He felt something soft press against his forehead, something he didn’t recognize. He slowly opened his eyes, wondering what she was doing. 

He didn’t expect to see her kissing him. He was shocked and froze a bit, unsure of how to react to that. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had shown him any form of affection and here was this woman, practically sitting in his lap and kissing him of all things. He couldn’t process it and he certainly didn’t feel Alexis slowly pulling away from him. He looked up at Alexis, locking eyes with her. 

Alexis didn’t know what had come over her, she couldn’t explain why she had decided to touch him. She had always been curious as to what his skin felt like and Charon looked oddly peaceful while he slept. She was worried he’d wake up, but he didn’t so much as flinch. She didn’t expect him to wake up when she kissed his forehead either. But when she saw him looking up at her, a soft, tired, confused look on his face. She froze and looked at him, worried she’d crossed some unspoken line. She was surprised when he smiled at her a bit and wrapped his arms around her waist. She blushed a soft pink as he sat up. She moved back a bit and sat on her calves. His arms stayed around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Alexis rested her hands on his shoulders and looked at him, slightly confused. 

“Are you ok? You’re bright red,” he said. His voice was lower than normal, probably because he was tired. 

Alexis turned even redder and looked away. 

Charon chuckled softly, “Relax, you’ve done nothing wrong,” he says. He knew it was the easiest way to help her calm down when she was like this. He leaned his head back against the chair and closed his eyes again. He felt her move closer to him, actually sitting on his lap now, resting her head on his chest. He kept his arms around her gently and yawned softly. He felt relaxed. 

They sat there like that for a while before Alexis stood up. She grabbed his hand and lightly tugged him out of his chair and onto her bed. He looked at her curiously and sits beside her. She lays down on the bed and tugs at his arms, “Can you lay down with me? That chair is uncomfortable.”

Charon nods and lays beside her. He wraps his arms around her again. She moved closer to him and rests her head on his shoulder. He rubbed her back slowly and she shuddered a bit. “Are you cold?” he asks her. “I can get extra blankets,” he says.   
Alexis shakes her head, “I’m not cold,” she says. “It’s...something else,” she mumbles.

Charon takes a second, then remembers the dream she had. He gets an idea and pulls her closer to him. “You were having a nightmare earlier, does it have to do with that?” he asked, knowing full well it hadn’t been a nightmare. He looked at her as she turned even redder. He suppressed a chuckle and looked at her curiously. “Why are you embarrassed? It was just a dream,” he says. “You wanna talk about it?” he asks and pulls her closer to him, as he normally would after she had a nightmare. She was none the wiser, but he enjoyed watching her squirm. He wondered what she’d look like squirming from something else. 

He felt Alexis move closer to him as he wrapped his arms tighter around her. She was red, biting the inside of her lip. He gently ran a through her hair, brushing his finger to the ends, lightly tugging on the blue strands where her hair was tangled. He heard her gasp as he tugged particularly hard, though it wasn’t pained. He apologized and continued lightly pulling at her hair, enjoying her soft gasps and squirms. 

He decided to take it up a notch. He slid one of his legs under her legs, then carefully pushed his knee between her legs, pulling her even closer to him. He heard her squeak and bury her head in his chest. He smirked a bit. Alexis normally only wore a nightgown to bed, but today she had fallen asleep in her normal clothes, so a soft blouse and skirt. He was careful not to make it too obvious what he was doing, but he could practically hear the gears turning in her head as she began to understand what he was doing. 

He slid his hand lower, to her hip. He gently rubbed at the waistband of her skirt. He slid his hand down her covered thigh, then back up again, bringing the skirt with his hand. He felt her shiver again. He ran his hand over her now bare thigh and slowly dragged her skirt up more. His fingertips brushed against her ass, and he realized something with a grin. 

In less than a second, he had Alexis on her back, her arms pinned over her head with one hand while his other was now hidden under her skirt. She was looking up at him, surprised. He stared back at her, a small grin on his face. He leaned closer to her, pressing his forehead to hers, “If you want me to stop, you need to tell me now. Otherwise, you may not get a chance to,” he said, his voice low, he was almost whispering. 

She shuddered again, “No, I don’t want you to stop. Please,” she said. Her voice was breathless, it was soft as well, shy. But there was no hesitance. She wanted this as much as he did. 

He didn’t hesitate either. Once the words left her mouth, he kissed her. It was rougher than he intended, it was almost… hungry… as if he were trying to devour her. She reciprocated, though her lack of experience showed as she kissed him back. He slid his free hand back up, pulling her skirt up. He knew how much Alexis hated her body being seen, so he wouldn’t cross that line, not yet anyway, but he was going to make sure she enjoyed every second of it.   
It was made all the easier by the fact she decided not to wear underwear that day. 

He started slowly, not wanting to hurt or overwhelm her accidentally. As soon as his fingers brushed over her, she let out a soft squeal and practically jumped. He’d barely touched her and she was already so wound up. He chuckled softly and reached into her bedside drawer, knowing she kept ribbons in there. He pulled out a large, pink, silk ribbon she’d found one day while they were out scavenging. He tied her hands up quickly and carefully, making sure they were in no way too tight. She held still for him when she realized what he was doing. She gave a tug after he’d finished tying. He nodded a bit and held her down by her hip. 

He slowly started to touch her a bit, her hips jerking occasionally only to be held in place by him. He looked at her, making sure she was still ok with this, but she made no efforts to stop him, nor was there any doubt in her eyes. He grinned a bit as he continued rubbing her in slow random patterns, watching her expressions as he did so to see what she liked best. 

It didn’t take long to find something that made her spread her legs wider and moan. He leaned down to her and kissed her again as he started moving his fingers faster. She nearly screamed in his mouth as he sped up. He could feel her trying to move under him, to get closer to his hand. He chuckled, “relax, let me take care of you, close your eyes,” he says, his voice still low. 

She shuddered again and nodded. She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. He moved down her body as she calmed herself and relax. She could feel him running his hands over her thighs, kissing near her knee. She shuddered a bit, keeping her eyes closed but getting more excited by the second. She could feel his breath so close to where she really wanted him to touch. She spread her legs wider, silently begging him to keep touching her. 

How could he say no?

He slid his middle finger inside her as he started licking her rather hard. That pulled a small scream from her throat before she bit her lip to keep quiet. He chuckled at that and kept holding her hips down. He could feel how tense she was, how desperate she was. He made his blood rush knowing he was the one to make her feel this. 

He started speeding up his movements, adding in a second finger just to pull even more sounds out of her. She was moaning and making small whines at this point. He could feel that her body was on the brink of snapping. He grinned as he worked more to push her over that edge. 

When she started chanting his name between moans and begs for him to do more, he nearly lost it. He damn near growled from how she said it. He pulled back a bit, licking his lips, “If you keep saying my name like that, I might just lose any strand of control I have left,” his fingers were still inside her, moving at a pace that had her eyes in the back of her head. 

She looked up at him, moaning and panting, “Do I look like I care?” she said. Her face was still bright red, a sheen of sweat had formed on her face. 

He ran his hand through her hair a bit before tugging on it again. “No, guess you don’t” he grins. He sharply tugs her hair, forcing her head back and baring her neck to him. He leaned closer and untied the ribbon around her neck by biting down on the end of it. He carefully pulled the ribbon away from her neck and dropped it in the bed beside her. He started lightly tracing the scar she had with the tip of his tongue, causing her to shudder more. He held her head still and his fingers sped up. He looked at her, her face contorted in pure pleasure, she was so close to snapping and he could practically feel it. He grinned a bit, knowing he was about to push her right over the edge. Without another second of hesitation, he bit into her neck. Hard. 

The scream that tore from her throat made him nearly come himself. 

Her entire body arched off the bed and her body trembled under him. He continued moving his fingers, slower though, as she slowly started relaxing. He pulled away from her neck, knowing the bite wouldn’t leave much of a mark. He let go of her hair and pressed his forehead to hers. She was still panting softly, though she had completely relaxed. He kissed her forehead gently and brought his hand down to rub her hip slowly. They stayed like that until she had caught her breath. 

“You ok?” he asked her, “are you ready to keep going?” he asks. 

She nods, “Yeah. Yeah I’m ok, please, keep going,” she says, smiling at him. 

He nods and pulls his fingers out of her slowly. He pulls off the pants he was wearing and his own underwear. He kisses her slowly, gently. He carefully pushed into her, groaning loudly from the sensation. He heard her breath catch in her throat. He continued slowly, making sure he didn’t hurt her. Once he was fully inside her, he rested his head on hers. He stayed there, letting his heart rate slow down a bit before he started moving. 

He took the time to study her face. By the look on her face, she was in complete bliss. Her eyes were closed and she looked peaceful, almost as if she were asleep. He chuckled softly and kissed her gently. She hummed a bit and kissed back. He started moving slowly, her breath catching with each movement. 

It didn’t take him long to start getting rougher though. Pretty soon once they’d both adjusted to the feeling of being joined, he started getting going faster and rougher. He knew she was enjoying it as much as he was. The look on her face gave it away. He was at a pace that was rough but was easy to maintain. He could tell she was already on the brink of another orgasm. He wondered for a brief moment if she’d ever been with someone else. He didn’t ponder on it too long, however, as Alexis had started screaming his name again. He felt his control give in just a bit more as he started going harder and harder. She was still screaming his name and his vision was starting to get fuzzy. He let out a grunt as she let out a final cry of his name, the two of them coming at the same time. Both of their bodies trembled and nearly gave way as they came off their high. He rested his head on hers again, rocking his hips slowly as she calmed down. He slowly pulled out of her and kissed her again. 

Alexis kissed back tiredly. They probably would have stayed like that for a long time, if Alexis’s stomach hadn’t growled loudly, making them both jump. 

Charon chuckled softly. “Wait here. I’ll run a bath and get you something to eat, ok?” he says, kissing her forehead. 

“I can do one,” she says, trying to sit up. 

He chuckled a bit and untied her. “Stay, relax,” he says. “I can handle it,” he says. He puts his underwear back on and walks to the bathroom. He starts running the water for a bath, adding some scented oils he knew she liked before going to heat up their food he’d made earlier. 

Alexis laid on the bed, trying to process what had just happened. Her body felt light and her senses were muddled, as if she’d just taken some Med-X. She felt… blissful. She heard the water turn off and smiled as Charon walked back into their room. He smiled at her. She’d only ever seen him smile a couple of times before now. It made her heart race each time. He leaned down and picked her up carefully. 

“I can walk, Charon, you don’t have to carry me,” she says. 

He simply shrugged and set her down on the edge of the tub. “Bathe,” he says. He had set her food on a small table beside the tub. “Figured you could eat as well. I’m going to be in the other shower if you need me,” he says. He kisses her forehead again before leaving. 

She stripped and slowly climbed in the tub. She soaked for a while before washing herself and then eating. She felt a familiar flutter in her stomach. The butterflies that appeared whenever Charon did anything really. She smiled and finished her food. She pulled the drain open and slowly got out of the tub. She wrapped her hair in a towel and wrapped a second around her body. She walked to the main bedroom and put on one of her long, soft nightgowns. She looked at her bed and saw that sheets had been changed. She smiled and opened the door. She laid on the bed and a few seconds later Charon joined her. 

She moved as close to him as she could, still basking in a bit of afterglow. He had his arms around her, holding her gently. She kissed him softly and smiled, “Charon, I love you. Thank you for everything you do for me,” she says. 

He looks at her, a bit surprised, but he smiled at her again, “I love you too. And I’d do anything for you,” he says, kissing her forehead softly. “Now sleep. You must be tired,” he says.  
She nods and starts drifting off. She smiled as she fell asleep, wondering what adventures awaited them.


	2. Real Chapter 1

For as long as he could remember, Charon had been nothing more than a tool for other people to use. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Now was not the time to lose focus. He glanced over at the woman who currently ‘employed’ him. She was currently getting her hair dyed it's familiar shade of bright blue. She was talking and laughing with the man doing her hair. The woman to his left was laughing along. Alexis, his employer, said they were friends of hers, but something seemed off about them. They were entirely too pale… He looked back at her, remembering how they'd met. 

*It had been a day like any other, standing in the same corner he was forced to stay in every hour of everyday. He hated the ninth circle. He hated Underworld. He hated the stupid name Ahzrukhal had stuck him with. He wanted nothing more than to end that sick bastards life. The sound of the door being pushed open made him turn his head. 

A short, sickly looking human woman with bright blue hair walked in. She looked confused, unsure, and possibly afraid. He couldn't blame her, it was a city full of ghouls after all. He briefly locked eyes with her. He took note of her eye color, a deep, dark brown. Nearly black. She gave him a small smile and wave. He rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall. 

He caught her giving him a confused look before walking to the bar. She and Ahzrukhal spoke briefly, her glancing at him occasionally. She stood up straight and brought her hand to her hip. She dropped a pretty big bag of caps of the counter. Ahzrukhal looked at the bag surprised, but skeptical. She stood there, thin arms folded over her frail looking chest. Ahzrukhal emptied the bag out and began counting them out. Charon watched her take a seat at the bar to wait.

After a long while of counting, Ahzrukhal gave a chuckle, handing her a familiar sheet of thick parchment. He pushed himself off the wall as she walked over. He looked down at her, she was at least a foot and a half shorter than him. He would have laughed at this small woman if not for the circumstances. She looked concerned, and angry? 

“Hi. I'm Alexis, I'm your new employer,” she said. Her voice was soft, but hoarse, as if she hadn't spoken in a while. As she stood in front of him, he took note of the healing bruises on her neck and wrists, also a lump on her side that suggested a bandage lay under her thin shirt. She shifted her weight between her feet, clearly unsure of herself. 

“I see. Please wait here while I deal with something,” he says, walking over to Ahzrukhal. 

She stepped aside to let him pass, watching him curiously. 

He felt the weight of Ahzrukhal's control on him lift away. He felt better than he had in a long time, and he was about to feel a lot better. 

“Ah, Charon, have you come to say goodbye?” The man said, a smug grin on his face as he put the caps into the bag.**

You won't be smiling here in a minute. **he thought to himself. “I have. Goodbye” he says, pulling the shotgun off of his back and pointed it at the man who had made his life hell for as long as he could remember. He pulled the trigger once, then again, just to be sure. He holstered his weapon and picked up the bag of caps. He turns back to the woman. 

She seemed a bit surprised, but not all that disturbed by what had just happened. She looked up at him, studying his features curiously as he handed her the now bloodied bag. She took it from his hand, her nose crinkling a bit. She replaced it from where she grabbed it. “Ready to go?” She asked him, “I have a bed at Carol's. You look like you could use a rest” she said, turning to the door. 

He followed her out of the ninth circle, heaven willing he'd never have to return.*

That had been nearly three months ago. Alexis was much better, healthier and at a normal weight. She was such more cheerful and always had a bright smile. She made friends very easily. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a hand on his arm. He looked down at the woman, her hair wet from the fresh dye. 

“You OK? You've been spacing out for a while,” she sounded a bit concerned. 

He couldn't understand this woman. He didn't understand why she was always concerned with his well being. It felt strange to him, to be treated like a living being. He gave a nod, “I'm fine. Are you ready to go?” 

She gave a smile and nodded, satisfied with his answer. “Mhm, its late. We both could use some rest,” she stretches a bit. She hands him a key. “Upstairs, should be the the door with a big three on it”

He nodded and took the key, he learned after the first week of working for her, she always got him his own room wherever they stayed, despite he didn't really need to sleep thanks to the contract. Currently that place was Gobs saloon in Megaton. He headed upstairs to the bedroom. She walked behind him then to her own room, right beside his. She opened the door and looked at him, “sleep well,” she says, smiling.

He nodded in reply and walked into the room, closing the door behind him. He sat on the bed and sighed, letting his mind wander.


	3. Chapter 2

He didn’t realize he drifted off until he heard a scream from the room beside him that jolted him awake. He stood up quickly and grabbed his shotgun that was propped against the wall before leaving the room and stepping to the roo next door, unlocking it with the spare key she’d given him. He opens the door and looks at her. She seemed ok, other than the fact she was shaking and seemed paler than normal. Then she looked at him, and he nearly dropped his gun in shock. 

Her eyes had turned jet black, not just her iris, but her entire eye. She looked at him just as shocked as he looked. She blinked and they went back to their normal dark brown iris. If he hadn’t known better, he’d think he was hallucinating, but this wasn’t a hallucination. He knew what he saw. He looked behind him, a worried and tired looking Gob had climbed the stairs. 

“Everything ok? I heard a scream,” he said, looking into the room. 

Alexis smiled, as if nothing happened, “Oh, I’m fine Gob! Just a bad dream, Don’t worry about it!” she said. 

“You sure? You need anything?” he asks, stepping into the room. Charon knew the barkeep meant no harm, so let him pass inside. 

She gave him the same smile and nodded, “I promise, I’m ok. And I don’t need anything. I’ll fall back asleep eventually,” she says and walks to the small, slightly rotting dresser and picks up a bottle of water. She opens it and drinks about half of it in one go. She closes the bottle and sets it on her bedside table. 

Gob looked hesitant, but nodded, “Alright, if you need anything, come wake me, ok?” he says, turning to leave. 

“Will do, thanks,” she says, smiling as he left. She looked at Charon as he shut the door after him. 

“You’re a very bad liar,” he says after a few moments of silence. He sits it a chair that creaks slightly. “Go back to sleep if you can. I’ll stay here,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I’m fine. Charon. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to,” she said, leaning back against her headboard. 

He knew very little about Alexis, but he did know that she was in fact not fine. He didn’t know what was wrong, but he knew she wasn’t fine. He looked at her, “Whatever that was, it was more than a nightmare,” he says. 

Alexis stayed quiet, fiddling with the sheet on her bed. She looked at him, “Are you sure you really want to know? It’s not a pleasant story…”

He nods, “It’s better for me to know. It’s my job to help you, remember? As a part of that contract you have. I have to keep you safe. Including safe from yourself,” he says, looking at her. It wasn’t a complete lie, but it would do to get her to talk to him. He was more concerned, though he couldn’t really explain why.

“Where do I even begin? I guess… We’ll start at the beginning…”

*Alexis looked at the people before her. Her arms were tied behind her with a thick, itchy rope. The collar at her neck blinked at slow intervals. She had been a slave for as long as she could remember, mostly used to get into small places her owners couldn’t get into. She was now around 16 years old and was getting sold to yet a new owner, but this man was different, strange to her. 

He was wearing odd robes and had strange tattoos on his face. She hadn’t seen anyone like this before. There were six others with similar tattoos and robes with him. She wasn’t the only one they were buying either. There were four other slaves with her, all around the same age as her. 

The man in charge inspected all five of them and nodded before handing a bag of caps to the slaver who currently held her. The slaver handed the man and the others the remotes to the collars at their necks. She and the others were pushed forward and began walking with their new owners to god knows where. 

They had walked for nearly three hours to their new home, a place hidden among old world rubble. The man in charge, a man she learned later was named Confessor Joseph, led them into what seemed to be an old vault. The other six of his ‘Zealots’ as Joseph called them, often rotated the remotes so none of the slaves would know who had what remote. In the vault were more of these kinds of people. Alexis and the other slaves were led down deeper into the vault into a room that had literal cells lining the walls. 

They pushed Alexis and the others into the cells and locked them in. They walked out of the room, leaving them there to ponder their fate. 

They sat there in those cells for three days, one by one being chosen by Joseph and dragged into a room at the end of the hall of cells. None of the slaves ever came back alive from them. Bloodcurdling screams were heard coming from that room all day. Other volunteers came into the lab with a similar unknown fate until Alexis was the only one left. 

She was dragged into what seemed to be an infirmary. Cots lined the wall with horrifically mutated corpses. Alexis shuddered, knowing that was going to be her fate, and there was nothing she could do about it. They strapped her to a table and removed her collar. She didn’t even bother struggling. She closed her eyes as the first needle went into her arm, then another in her neck. She felt herself go numb for a minute before a horrible burning sensation spread across her entire body. She was almost certain she screamed. 

She wasn’t sure how long she laid there, her body burning as if she’d been set on fire. She desperately wanted the pain to end. Eventually, to her surprise, the burning faded. She felt ill and tired. She started to fall asleep, hearing surprised voices around her. 

She woke up in a large bedroom. Her body ached and she couldn’t move. She looked to her wrists, seeing her arms tied down. She felt the familiar pressure of the collar around her neck. She heard a door open behind her, but she couldn’t see who entered. 

“Ah, you’re awake! This is joyous! The experiment was a success!” Confessor Joseph said. “We were surprised when no physical symptoms developed, but after many tests, we can tell that it’s worked!” he sounded very excited. “Everyone is ready to start running more tests, but you should eat!” he says.

She struggled against the bonds at her wrists as the man walks over. She felt sick, dizzy, and she was scared. “Let me go! What the hell did you do to me!?!” she screams, struggling more. She started to feel even more sick and she was starting to shake. “Let me out of here!” Her vision was starting to go dark as she started panicking. 

Joseph yelled for help as Alexis started thrashing around on the bed. She blacked out.*

“And when I woke up, everyone in the vault was dead. They were melted and disfigured. I don’t know what happened. It’s happened a few more times since then, that’s how I ended up in underworld to begin with. Super Mutants captured me and dragged me into the ruins. For some reason they didn’t search me and take the money I’d gathered from scavenging. I managed to get away but got shot in the process,” she said. She looked over at him, “What you saw when you walked in is what happens when this… ability of mine shows itself. It only happens when I’m afraid. I had a nightmare and I panicked,” she wrapped her arms around her shoulders. “If you hadn’t walked in I may have blacked out again and possibly hurt someone,” she mumbled, curling in on herself a bit. 

Charon looked at her, unsure of how to process this information, “What exactly are you?” he asks, his voice monotone, but had a hint of curiosity to it. 

“I don’t know. Every doctor I’ve seen has told me the same thing. Externally, I’m completely human. Internally? My body stores radiation, I age slower, I’m constantly sick because of the radiation, my brain is slowly dying, and I can expel the stored radiation in my body. What does that sound like to you?” She asks and looks at him. “I’m a half breed monster of some sort. Created by something some crazy cultists thought would bring them closer to their god,” she sniffed a bit. 

Charon looked at her, “You’re no monster. You’re mutated, but that doesn’t make you a monster. Trust me, I’ve known some real monsters. You’re far from one,” he says. “Although you should probably try to find a way to control that ability of yours,” he leans back in his chair. 

She nods, “I know. I find that so long as I stay away from radiation, It’s easier to manage, but that’s easier said than done,” she says and lays back on the bed. She looks at the small watch around her wrist, “It’s 3 AM. You should go to bed, Charon,” she says. 

“I don’t need to sleep. You should know this by now,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Bull, I’ve seen you sleep before,” she says and looks at him. 

“Just because I can, doesn’t mean I need to,” he says. “Sleep. Now,” he says. “We’re supposed to head to Rivet City tomorrow, remember?” he says.

“Oh right, damnit, we’ve gotta get those chems for Doc, shit,” she sighed. “Ya know, if I didn’t have you here, I’d probably forget my own name,” she says, laughing a bit. 

Charon rolls his eyes a bit, “Knowing you? I wouldn’t be surprised,” he says. “Now sleep or I will give you Med-X again,” he says. 

“You’re so mean to me!” she fake whines. “I thought you liked me,” she says, pouting a bit. 

“You greatly overestimate my feelings for you, Alexis. Now sleep,” he says, leaning back more in his chair, letting his mind wander again as she drifted off.


	4. Chapter 3

The next morning, Charon snapped awake at the sound of a glass shattering. He looked over at Alexis, seeing her still asleep. He stood up and picked up his shotgun and stepped out of the room. He heads down the stairs and sees Gob cleaning up some broken glass. 

The smaller ghoul looks up at Charon and smiles a bit, “Good morning, charon, how are you?”

He shrugs a bit, “You ok?” he asks. 

“Oh yeah, I just dropped a glass. Is there something you need?” he asks. 

“No. Alexis isn’t awake. I heard the glass break. I came to check,” he says. 

Gob nods and empties the glass onto the trashcan, “I’m fine. It just slipped from my hand. Can I get you a drink? You look like you could use one,” he says and picks up another glass. “How is it? Working for Alexis, I mean,” he asks. 

Charon looks at Gob curiously, “It’s fine? I guess? She’s not the worst employer I’ve ever had, but she’s definately… odd” he looks up the stairs, towards the room she was still sleeping in. 

Gob nods and turns on the radio. He hands Charon a glass of whiskey. “Odd? Yeah, I get those vibes off of her,” he says. “But she’s nice, something not common around here.”

Charon nods and drinks the whiskey. He sets the glass down on the table. He sits at a stool. If Alexis needed him, she would call. She always called when she needed help, though usually only after she’s broken something. She always asked, too, she never ordered him to help her. It was always phrased as a question. She was careful about it. She always hesitated before asking something of him. He couldn’t understand why she was always so careful, but after what she told him last night, it seemed to make sense. She used to be a slave. She knows what it’s like to not have free will. She knows how much it sucks, being unable to make your own choices. He was grateful for her to take his own feelings into consideration, though he never refused to do anything she asked, as it was never something unreasonable. It was nice to not have to worry about everything for once. She never had anything he needed to do daily, though he knew what her commitments were and he helped her stay on track. He didn’t realize he was staring into nothingness until Gob set another glass in front of him. He snapped out of it and looked at Gob. Gob just smiled and went back to cleaning and getting ready to open. 

He heard movement upstairs and knew Alexis was awake. Her footsteps were incredibly light, but not undetectable as she tended to trip over her own feet. He headed back upstairs to check on her. He was concerned for her, though he couldn’t explain why. It wasn’t the contract, he knew that. He knew what the pull of that damned piece of paper had over him felt like, but this was different. It was his own feelings. He knocked lightly on the door. He heard a clattering sound and a small yelp. He rolled his eyes a bit as he heard a soft ‘just a second’ from the bedroom. He leaned on the wall beside her door. 

She opened the door a few seconds later. She had a sheet wrapped around her upper body. She must have been getting dressed. She looked over at Charon and smiled, “Oh, good morning charon, come in,” she says and steps back into the room, leaving the door open for him. 

He pushed himself off of the wall and walked into the room, shutting and locking the door behind him to avoid someone else walking in. He sat on the bed and turned his head aside. Alexis really only had one rule, though she never really said it, he could just tell. She hated it when people looked at her scars. She had several on her body. Charon had seen most of them from treating her injuries, though she was quick to cover herself after. It was one of the few things that made her uncomfortable. 

He understood. Charon hated it when people stared at him too, though he drew a lot of attention and Alexis could hide herself better than he could. He knew what it was like when people stared at the scars. He caught glimpses of them from time to time, the ones on her arms and legs were faint, probably caused by a few falls. She had a few on the front of her torso, a couple looking eerily like bite marks. The one scar around her neck she hid with a ribbon that she tied over it. He now knew where that one came from, and why she rubbed it as if it irritated her constantly. But by far, the most concerning were the ones she hid the best. The ones on her back. 

They had an intricate cris-cross pattern that was random but had clearly been made by the same tool and the same hand. They were raised and smooth from the few brief times he’d touched them. They had been treated properly and healed well, though he supposed that didn’t get rid of the pain they caused. He recalled when a raider had hit her hard in the back with the butt of his gun, how she froze for a moment before turning around and shooting the man in the face. After that fight, he treated the few minor injuries she had and could see a rather large bruise forming where the raider hat hit her. He moved behind her to treat the wound and she froze, tensing as if she were preparing to fight. He took notice of this, but inspected the wound carefully, not seeing anything concerning. He looked at the scars briefly before standing and letting her know she was fine. He remembered how quickly she pulled her shirt on and crawled into her sleeping roll. It was the first time she showed any form of fear towards him. He didn’t concern himself with it and he didn’t ask. The next day, she was back to normal, but would sometimes complain about the bruise hurting. 

He snapped out of his thoughts when Alexis had walked over to him.

“You ok, Charon? You’ve been spacing out a lot. Is something on your mind?” she asked, sounding concerned. 

He shook his head, “Nothing to worry about, just thinking,” he says. He looks at her outfit. It was a simple light shirt and a skirt. Nothing unusual. He knew she was wearing a set of strange oddly thin armor under it that protected her well. Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail and had a light curl to it. The ribbon she wore was green today. It looked nice with her hair. He felt a strange compulsion to brush a stray strand of her bright blue hair from her face. He looked back at her eyes, still showing she was concerned. He stood up and lightly placed his hand her shoulder, “I promise, I’m fine,” he says. 

She seemed to accept it. “Alright. But if you need anything, you can tell me, ok?” she says, grabbing her bag. It was small, holding a few handfuls of ammo for her .44 magnum. It was a small gun, but surprisingly powerful. She also had quite a few stimpacks in a metal case and a couple bags of caps. She was planning to get food and other supplies after getting breakfast. She smiled at him, “Then lets go,” she smiles. “Have you eaten yet?” she asks. 

He shakes his head no, following her out of the room. She walks to Gob’s counter and sets the keys to their rooms on the table along with her payment for the rooms. “Have a good day, Gob, we’ll see ya around,” she says. 

Gob waves cheerfully as they walk out. 

Alexis walks over to Moria’s first and foremost. They’d sold off their junk to a trader outside megaton the day before and got some Stimpacks, so she still needed food for their lunch while they walked to Rivet City before heading off to god knows where. Alexis liked to wander and scavenge. She hands Charon a small bag of caps, “You can go get some food if you want to. I know I tend to take a while with Moria.” 

Charon nodded and put the small bag into his pocket. “I’ll be at the Lantern then,” he says. He knew she’d be fine by herself. Moria was odd, but harmless. And people in town knew better than to try anything with that merc she hired no more than two feet from her at all times. He turned and walked into the crater, heading towards the Lantern. He sat in a stool and waited for Jenny to finish helping someone else. 

Jenny gave him a nod when she noticed him, “What can I get you?” People tended to be nice to him, half out of fear half out of respect for Alexis. He just asked for a couple bowls of brahmin stew while waiting for her he heard the front gates to Megaton open. He looked over as three people walked down the hill, greeted by Simms. He couldn’t see them too well, but he could clearly see one of the people was a ghoul wearing a cloth over their heads. He didn’t pay too much until they walked down past him. He looked at the trio. The leader, a tall dark haired man wearing a dirty t-shirt and jeans, didn’t pay him any mind. The second person, a woman with dark green hair glanced at him, but looked away. The third, the ghoul, looked directly at him. 

Charon froze as he looked at them. Despite the radiation burns, Charon recognized them clearly. Another person, just like him, trapped. The dark haired man called out a name Charon didn’t recognize and the ghoul looked over at him. They walked over to the man and they began speaking. Charon couldn’t move or speak at this point and he was so unsure of what he was actually seeing. He picked up his bag and walked back to Craterside, ignoring Jenny’s calls behind him.


	5. Chapter 4

Charon wasn’t sure how he managed to get to Craterside, everything was hazy and blurry to him. His head hurt and he felt like he was on the verge of passing out. This was so strange to him. *What was she doing here? How did she get here? Why… what the hell is she doing here…* He burst into the shop. He must have looked terrible because Alexis ran over to him as soon as he walked in. Moria looked at him concerned. Then he collapsed.

Alexis had been concerned when Charon walked in, looking like he'd just ran a marathon, but was damn near panicking when he collapsed at her feet. 

Moria ran over, “I'll go get the doc. Wait here!” she says. She carefully steps over Charon and runs down the ramp. 

The mercenary, Michael if she recalled correctly, helped her get Charon off of the floor and into a nearby bed. Alexis was on the verge of a panic attack. She sat in a chair, shaking a bit, worried about Charon. 

Michael placed his hand on her shoulder, “he’ll be fine. Just calm down, breathe ok?” he said. He sounded slightly concerned. He leaned against the wall nearby. 

Alexis looked at Charon in concern and hugged her knees to her chest. 

*Charon wasn’t sure where he was. For a second, it looked like Rivet City, then a vault, before finally becoming an empty field. In the center was a campfire, three people sat around it. One was a woman with a shaved head, looking calm and cooking something. The second was a grisly old man in a military uniform. He had a stern look on his face and he looked at Charon. The third person, they surprised him the most, “Sammy?” He says in shock. The younger man smiled at him. The mousy brown hair of the young man stood in all directions, his light brown eyes looked him up and down. 

The man stood up, “Hi Aaron. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” he asks. 

“Aaron? Sorry, that’s no longer my name,” he says. He looks at Sammy, “How are you- What’s going on?” he asks confused. 

The woman stands, “Because of you, aren’t we? This is in your head, after all.” she says. 

The man stands up, “You’re dreaming. Facing your past caused you to stress out.”

Sammy looks at him, “You’re going to face the consequences of your actions. You’re going to rot for what you did to us,” he says.  
The woman nods, “You’ve caused us a lot of pain, Aaron. Now it’s your turn to rot.” The voice was like a hot, scolding knife searing through his skin.

“You’re not allowed to be happy, or have you forgotten what you’ve done?” the older man says. 

“Maybe we should remind him?” Sammy says, grinning. He had changed, though. His once pristine white shirt was stained red. His blue jeans faded to a pale, near white color, torn apart and open, revealing the various splays of red gashes among his legs and thighs, the contents spilling out onto the jeans. 

The old man nodded, he too had changed. His navy blue uniform was how shredded, contents of gore spilling out from the holes, just as Samuel. His eyes were glassy and a solid white color; no life was present. His neat kept hair was long and white now. His face was bruised and his jaw unhinged; stained an array of dark blues and purples. The jaw was out of place, no doubt in his mind lead Charon to believe that the jaw was broken by some unholy force that made Charon’s gut twist into knots. 

The woman was last. Charon couldn’t remember her name anymore, it had been too long. Although the name lingered somewhere in the deep, forgotten file cabinets of his brain, his fingers couldn’t seem to reach for the “file” that held her name or any concept of who this woman was. He gazed back to the woman, no emotion showing through his monotone voice. Slowly, the skin began to slowly dissolve off of the woman’s face, the stench of burning flesh filling the air, filling Charon’s nostrils; suffocating him. “You caused this. You killed us.” The voice whispered harshly; like nails on a chalkboard. Although the whispers died down, with every word Charon could hear the blood pumping through his ears. Feel the woman approach with each word, feel the hot breath on his neck, feel the hot waxy texture of her face melt, dripping down upon him.*

He woke up after that, sitting bolt upright, his heart hammering in his chest. He looked around the room quickly. It was dark, a small cot was set up beside the bed he was in. He could make out the shape of someone sleeping on the cot. He didn’t know how he got here, but he recognized the room as Moria’s. He rubbed his temples gently and slowly took deep breaths to calm down. He must have been talking to himself because the cot made a squeaking sound as the person who had once been asleep there sat up. 

“Charon? Are you ok?” she sounded tired, and she was whispering, it made it difficult for him to tell what she was saying. But he recognized the voice as Alexis’s. Even if he didn’t, her messy blue hair gave it away. 

“Yeah… Yeah, I’m ok…” he says, mumbling more than speaking. 

“You collapsed earlier, what happened?” she stood up, walking over to the chair by the bed. 

He shook his head, “It doesn’t matter. You should go back to sleep.”

“Like hell, I’m going back to sleep. You scared the hell out of me,” she says and looks at him. “I won’t make you tell me, but I’m worried about you,” she says, sounding much more awake and genuinely concerned. 

Charon looks at her, he could see just how worried she was. “It’s not something you need to be burdened with,” he says, shaking his head and laying back down. 

She stands up and sits on the bed beside him, near his waist. “You remember what you said to me last night?” she says, looking at him. 

He was a bit confused and looked at her, “About?”

“You said you couldn’t do your job without understanding what was wrong. And as your friend, I can’t do my job without knowing what’s wrong with you,” she says. “I know you’re not used to someone caring, I know that feeling all too well. But I do care about you. And I just want to help,” she says. “Though, as I said before, you don’t have to tell me. Either way, I’m not going anywhere. You’ve been by my side since we met. You’ve saved my life more times than I can count. I owe you more than you could ever imagine,” she says and smiles at him. 

Charon looked at her. Every bone in his body screamed at him that it was a bad idea to tell her. She’d take advantage of it. But part of him trusted her. She had never been unkind to him. She never forced him to do anything. She made sure he was treated as equally as she was. He thought for a long time, before looking at her and sitting up again, crossing his legs. 

She turned to face him, sitting in a similar position.

He took a deep breath and sighed. “To make a long story short, I volunteered to go under a procedure to turn me into some sort of super soldier. What I didn't know was this would cause me to lose my freedom. After waking up, I was forced to kill the ones that failed. All of them were my friends. They were my unit in the military. I was the second highest rank of them. I didn't have a choice. After that, I started changing hands. I was in the midwest when the bombs fell, but radiation still caused me to turn into a ghoul. Eventually, I ended up in the ninth. Now we're here” he says. Looking at her. 

She looked at him, she seemed clearly upset. She sniffed a bit before lunging forward and wrapping her arms around him. “I'm sorry, Charon. I'm sorry, you've had to suffer from that all these years” she said. 

He was a bit stunned, unsure of how to respond. So, he just wrapped his arms around her in return. “You really should go back to sleep. We need to leave early tomorrow since we’re late as it is,” he says, slowly letting her go. 

She nods and stands up. She looks at him, “You’re right, but Doc will understand. Besides, if we wait long enough, he’ll be in Rivet City and we won’t have to deliver them,” she says and stretches. “It will make our lives a bit easier,” she says and lays on the cot. She yawns a bit. “Sleep well, Charon,” she says, slowly drifting off. 

He nods and turns onto his side, his back facing her as he tried to sort his thoughts. Before he knew it, it was dawn again. He looked at Alexis, who was still asleep and sighed softly. He couldn’t wrap his head around why she was always so nice to him. Not just him but everyone really. He watched her sleep peacefully, her chest rising and falling slowly. He felt the urge to reach out and run a hand through her hair. He shook his head and sat up slowly. He rubbed his eyes slowly and stood up. His things were neatly placed in a corner, next to Alexis’s bag. He picked up his smaller bag and walked to the community showers in megaton. It was pretty early, so no one should be there, which was a relief for Charon. He walked into the empty shower area and walked into the shower farthest from the entrance. He took a quick shower, still letting his mind go all over the place. He heard the door open and someone getting into a different stall. He turned off the water and dried off. He put on his clothes and walked out silently. He walked back to moria’s as she was opening up her store. 

The red-haired woman smiled at him, “Alexis headed to the showers. Your stuff is still in the back room,” she says and smiles. 

Charon nods, “Thanks,” he says. 

“No problem. I hope you get to feeling better soon,” she says. “Alexis mentioned staying in Megaton for a few more days, just in case something else happened. She sent a letter through the caravans for the person you’re supposed to pick up a delivery for. She seemed very worried for you,” she says, wiping off the counter. 

Charon looked at her, confused, “I see…” he goes to the back room and grabs their things. He decides to head to Gob’s to wait for Alexis, letting Moria know in case Alexis came there first.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be warned. There is some triggering stuff in this chapter. You can skip over it if needed. Though it isn't very detailed.

Alexis was a bit distracted as she walked back to Moria’s after her shower. She didn’t see the man walking up to her until she bumped into him. “Oh! Sorry!” she says to him. She continues walking up to Moria’s. 

She didn’t realize she was being followed until she left Craterside. She saw the same man she’d ran into standing outside. She got a bad feeling and began to walk a little faster to get to Gobs quicker. She could hear the man talking to her, but she simply ignored him and hoped he went away. Once inside Gob’s, she tried to look around for Charon. You’d think a nearly 7-foot tall ghoul would be easy to spot, but no. Gob’s was packed to the brim and Alexis wasn’t able to find him anywhere. 

She was starting to get panicky being in such a crowded room. She felt her arm being grabbed and she was dragged back. She yelled, but no one seemed to hear in the loud bar. She was pulled back into someone's chest, a pair of arms around her, gripping her hips. She struggled to try and get away from the man holding her. She screamed again as he tried dragging her away. 

Charon knew something was wrong. He could feel it. He had been upstairs in a room he rented from Gob, he figured Alexis would come up after Gob told her where. After a few minutes of this unsettling feeling, he headed downstairs to find Alexis himself. 

Then he heard her scream. No one seemed to hear it but him, but he knew. He tried to get through the crowd to get to Alexis, but no one would let him through. He got frustrated and pulled his shotgun off his back, firing one shot into the air, causing several people to scream and started running for the door or diving under tables. 

He took advantage of this panicking to get through the crowd where he saw some strange man dragging her out of the bar while she struggled against him. 

He followed them out, making sure to keep an eye on her bright blue hair. Eventually, the man had dragged her into the showers. He wasted no time going into the showers and finding the stall they were in based on Alexis's yells. 

Alexis was scared. She wanted to try and call for help, but when someone fired a shot and everyone panicked, she couldn't get away from the man who grabbed her. She tried screaming for help, only to be drowned out by other screams.

When they got to the showers she damn near had a panic attack. She started screaming and struggling more to get away, but this man was easily twice her size. He had her in the back stall, pinned to the wall. 

He was struggling with her shirt when she heard the shower curtain being ripped off. She looked over the man's shoulder to see Charon standing there. 

He looked pissed. 

If Alexis didn't know Charon, she'd been more scared of him. But she only felt relieved when she saw him. 

Charon stepped into the shower and grabbed the man by his shirt. He threw him against the tiled wall. He pressed the barrel of his shotgun to the man's chest. The man looked ready to piss himself. 

Charon pulled the trigger, twice. The man fell to the ground, bleeding heavily. 

Alexis stood up, she tried to walk over to Charon and get out of the shower. She slipped on the bloodstained tiles. Charon looked at her and caught her from around her waist, her hands grabbing onto his shirt to keep her from falling. He lifts her up and carefully sets her on one of the other benches. 

Then people started walking in, trying to figure out what had happened. Sheriff Simms was one of them. 

“What the fuck happened in here?” He says, looking at the body, then to Charon, who was covered in blood, then to Alexis, who was shaking. 

Charon looked at Alexis, then back to Simms. “Take two guesses,” he says. 

Simms walks over to the body and turns him over, “can't say I'm surprised… He was always a creep,” he looks at Alexis, “are you OK, darling?” He asks. 

Alexis looks at him and nods. “Yeah… Yeah, I think so…” she says. 

Simms nods, “Go see Doc Church, just in case.”

Alexis nods and stands, her legs shaking and she fell before she could even take a step. 

Charon caught her again and carefully lifted her up. “When she's calmed down, I'll take her myself. right now she's not in a right mindset.”

Simms nods, “Fair enough. Take care of her.”

Charon nods and walks out of the shower, holding her close to himself. Her shaking was slowly subsiding, but he swore she was crying by the way he had her head buried in his chest. He was concerned, but he needed to get her somewhere safe. 

Upon walking into the bar, Gob ran over, asking a ton of questions about what happened and if Alexis was OK. 

Charon looks at him, “Not right now. I'll explain later. She needs to calm down” he says. 

Gob nods, still looking worried. 

He carries her up to the room and lays her on the bed. She was clinging to him rather tightly, so he chose to lay beside her. He kept one arm around her waist, the other was on her back, doing his best to try and comfort her. She has stopped shaking, but she was crying still. He couldn’t blame her. 

He couldn't remember a time he'd seen her so scared, so horrified. It really hit Charon to see Alexis like this; it really did. It caused a familiar pang of hurt to flow through his heart... He wrapped his arms tighter around her, feeling that same sensation he'd been feeling this past couple of weeks. That feeling of unusual protectiveness. One that made him want to just hold her until they melted together as one. 

She eventually calmed down but didn't move away. Her breaths were shallow, eyes glazed over in fear. He felt her hands on his chest, gripping his shirt. He kept rubbing her back for a few minutes before he spoke. “Did he.. Do anything to you, Alexis?” He asks, wanting to make sure there were no physical wounds or anything that he needed to take care of. 

She shook her head no. “I’m a little banged up, but other than that, no. I'm fine,” Alexis whispers into Charon’s shirt, still holding on tight.

“Fine is a stretch. You're clearly not fine,” he says and runs a hand through her hair, gently tilting her head up to look at her. “But you're not injured,” he says. 

She looked at him and nodded, “You're right, you're always right..” she mutters and presses his forehead against hers. “Thank you, Charon. God only knows what he would have-” her words were interrupted by the gentle choking sound, tears beginning to slide down her face. 

Charon panicked, feeling his heart soar before placing a hand on Alexis’s face. “Shh, don't think about that. You're safe now. That's all that matters,” Charon grips her tighter, gently swaying in attempt to comfort her.

Charon heard Alexis sniff once or twice here and there, but most importantly, she didn't cry. He only tightened the strong embrace he held Alexis in, but not enough to cause discomfort. In the heat of the moment, a knock on the door sounded across the room. As Alexis jumped, gripping Charon’s shirt, Charon looked at the door and for a brief moment tensed up, holding Alexis a little tighter. It lasted less than a second. He whispered a few words of comfort before setting her down gently and getting up to get the door, Alexis merely pulling the covers up to her neck.

He opens the door and looks at Gob, who was standing outside with a bright smile. Charon smiled back, Gob beginning to speak. “I figured you two should eat,” he says and hands Charon a couple of plates, each filled with a variety of some wasteland food that not even Charon could identify.

 

Charon nods in thanks before Gob sets off down the old hallway. Charon enters the living space he and Alexis shared, first setting down Alexis’s food down on her nightstand along with the eating utensils. Charon sat down his plate on his nightstand before curling up to Alexis, wrapping his arms around her in a tight, loving embrace. Alexis gently stirred, a gentle “mmhm” escaping her lips. 

Charon smiled, gently resting his head atop hers. “You should probably eat. It’s been a long couple of days and knowing you, you haven’t eaten since the day before yesterday,” he sat up, pulling her up with him. 

She didn’t protest, which only confirmed what Charon suspected about her not eating. He reaches over to the nightstand and grabs one of the plates. He was sitting behind her, Alexis was practically in his lap, so his chest pressed against her back as he leaned over. He kept one arm around her waist as she started eating. 

He always took note of how fast she ate. He’d seen the girl empty an entire plate in under 20 minutes. He didn’t question her about it, but tonight she was eating incredibly slow. He was concerned, but he wasn’t sure how to ask. He settled for just pressing his forehead to the top of her head. He was careful not to be constrictive to her movements, but he recalled how much she liked weighted blankets. She said the pressure made her feel safer. This wasn’t very different and him holding her seemed to help her calm down, though she was clearly still shaken up. 

They spent the rest of the day in their room, Charon doing his best to distract her. She seemed to be better. At one point she went over to her bag and pulled out a deck of playing cards she kept. He wondered what she was planning as she shuffled them. “Want to see a trick?” she asks. 

Charon looks at her questioningly and nods, “Sure.”

She hands him the deck. “Shuffle it as much as you want,” she smiles at him. 

He takes the deck and shuffles it a few times before handing it back to her. She flips over the top card, “Six of Spades is your card. Remember it,” she says. She flips the card over and separates the deck into two piles. She places the top card on the other pile, puts them together then shuffles the deck a couple more times. 

She holds the deck in her hand and looks at him, “Tell me when to stop,” she riffles through the cards. He tells her to stop halfway through the deck. She takes off the top portion of the deck and sets it aside. On the bottom half of the deck, she flips over the top card, it’s the six of spades. 

Charon chuckles, “How’d you do that?”

“Sleight of hand. Back west there’s an old-world city that’s still standing. A few of the people in charge of me would take me there every so often to swindle some money out of people. One of them taught me how to do some sleight of hand to steal from people or to perform and gain money that way. Drunk people are easier to fool, but I have a few tricks I’ve mastered and can do for any audience,” she says and shuffles the deck together again. “I can also read fortune cards, though it’s all a scam.”

“Fortune cards?” he asks. 

“Like tarots, but with a normal playing deck,” she says. She goes through the deck and pulls out all the cards under a 6. “Here, pick like three,” she spreads the deck between them. 

He looks at her curiously and picks three at random and hands them to her. She picks up the other cards and sets the three Charon picked in front of her. She flipped the first one over, “The eight of clubs, also known as the Mountain. It means someone wise is about to enter your life. You need to have an open mind and be ready to listen.” 

She flips over the second card, “Eight of hearts, otherwise known as the Moon, you’ll have a need for stability as many things begin changing, though in the end you will be happy and make many friends along the way,” she says. 

She flips over the final card, “And finally, the seven of diamonds, the Birds. Be calm and expect small gifts and celebrations to ensue,” she says and looks at him. “It’s kind of silly, but people enjoy being told of good things in their future and are willing to pay to be told those things. With a bit of intuition, you can tell exactly what they want to hear. Whether it’s true or not,” she says and picks up the cards, shuffling them again. 

Charon nods and watches her as she does so, “You say that like you know you’re lying about each prediction. Who knows, maybe one came true,” he says. 

She shrugs, “I wouldn’t know. They’re just cards, what do they know?” she says and reaches into her bag and pulls out another deck. “Want to play a game?”

“What did you have in mind?” he asks, taking the second deck. 

“It’s a game we played back west called “Caravan”. The rules are simple and it’s pretty fun. It’s usually played for caps but we can play just for fun,” she says and shuffles her deck. 

“How do we play?” he asks, shuffling the cards as well. 

As Alexis begins explaining the rules, she starts sorting through her cards and setting a few aside. She explains how to build up a deck but tells Charon he doesn’t have to worry as the deck she gave him is the one she normally uses for this game. She finishes explaining and they begin playing. 

They play well into the night, Alexis explaining different strategies so he learns better and eventually he wins a few rounds. Eventually, they both grow tired and Alexis puts the cards away. They decided to sleep in the same room together and eventually drifted off to sleep with Charon holding Alexis close to him.


End file.
